I- INTRODUCTION

Have you ever heard about this movie? What do you think it is about? Why should it be an example of censorship?.   Here is a brief description of the plot: The Last Temptation of Christ is a 1988 fictional drama film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is a film adaptation of the controversial 1953 novel of the same name by Nikos Kazantzakis. It stars Willem Dafoe as Jesus Christ, Harvey Keitel as Judas Iscariot, Barbara Hershey as Mary Magdalene, David Bowie as Pontius Pilate, and Harry Dean Stanton as Paul. The film was shot entirely in Morocco. Like the novel, the film depicts the life of Jesus Christ and his struggle with various forms of temptation including fear, doubt, depression, reluctance and lust. This results in the book and film depicting Christ being tempted by imagining himself engaged in sexual activities, a notion that has caused outrage from some Christians. The movie includes a disclaimer explaining that it departs from the commonly accepted Biblical portrayal of Jesus’ life, and is not based on the Gospels. In the film, Jesus is depicted as building crosses for the Romans, being tormented by the voice of God, and lamenting the many sins he believes he has committed. Because of these departures from the gospel narratives—and especially a brief scene wherein Jesus and Mary Magdalene consummate their marriage—several Christian fundamentalist groups organized vocal protests and boycotts of the film prior to and upon its release. The protests were effective in convincing several theater chains not to screen the film;  one of those chains, General Cinemas, later apologized to Scorsese for doing so. In some countries, including Turkey, Mexico, Chile, and Argentina, the film was banned or censored for several years. As of July 2010, the movie continues to be banned in thePhilippines and Singapore. (Adapted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Temptation_of_Christ_(film)#Controversy) A- Who is the director of the movie? B- Who is the author of the book on which this movie was based? C- What is William Dafoe’s role in the movie? D-Why was this movie censored in so many countries?.   Here are two videos. The first one is the trailer of the film and the second, a scene of Jesus’ speech.  Can you identify in these videos any elements that would justify the censorship of this movie? What do you think about censoring such controversial topics?.

II- READING COMPREHENSION ACTIVITY.

CHILE: Conservatives Keep ‘Last Temptation’ from Screens Gabriel Canihuante SANTIAGO, Jan 23 1997 (IPS) – Conservative sectors in Chile scored another victory this week when a court decided to maintain the ban on Martin Scorsese’s movie “The Last Temptation of Christ” In response to a request from the moralist organization “The Coming of Christ”, a Court of Appeals in Santiago decided unanimously to maintain the prohibition against showing the controversial film. Showing of the film was banned in 1988, during a time when Chile was governed by a military dictatorship. But the ban remained in place even after the restoration of plural democracy. Cinemas were ready to show the movie following a re-evaluation last year by the state Council for Film Ratings. But “The Coming of Christ” took the matter to the Court of Appeals. The court decision was celebrated by members of the organization. In the past few years it has waged a well-run campaign against several television programmes and other artistic expressions which it regards as dangerous for Christian values of Chilean society. “Freedom of expression cannot trample people’s honor; neither can artistic expression”, argued Francisco Donoso, a lawyer and representative of the conservative organization, who praised the court ruling. In their decision, the three judges who examined the case argued that the film “threatens and weakens the right to honor the figure of Christ — both as God and as a human being — and the freedom of conscience”. “The film offends, weakens and denigrates not only Christ (…) but also those who base their faith on Christ Redeemer and God”, they argued. The Court of Appeals’ decision sparked criticism. Patricio Westphal, coordinator of the Universal Movement Against Censorship (MUAC) said the judges “are not experts on the subject and cannot become cultural arbitrators, especially in a debatable and complex subject such as this one”. It is like that the matter will be taken to the Supreme Court — the highest level of the Chilean justice system. Moralists are not worried about a new battle. “The decision (of the Court of Appeals) seems too convincing to be revoked,” said Francisco Donoso, the lawyer and representative of “The Coming of Christ”. Movie theaters in Santiago may not exhibit Scorsese’s film at least for now. But in several movie theaters in the capital one can see — with certain age restrictions — many pornographic films and others with high levels of violence, which the moralists have not been able to censor. (Source: http://www.ipsnews.net/1997/01/chile-conservatives-keep-last-temptation-from-screens/) Questions 1- Explain the following quote in your own words: “Freedom of expression cannot trample people’s honor; neither can artistic expression” 2- According to the text, why should judges not decide on moral topics? 3- What is the reason why the author of the article refers to pornographic films as shown in some theaters of Santiago?.   Protests a) In the following videos you will be able to see people’s different opinions toward the movie. Take notes on the aspects that you consider most relevant. Video 1: A debate on the movie on Oprah Winfrey program (watch until minute 11:00) A boy giving his opinion about the movie .   b) Take a look at the following photos and choose 1. Then, write down a 250-word description of it related to the topic discussed (censorship). Use some of the following words in your description: Restriction – Control – Blasphemy – Forbid – Prohibit – Right – Infringement of rights – Approval – Recommendation – Authorization – Sanction – Taboo. Finally, upload the photo and description on your blog. Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3

III- INTERACTIVE ORAL ACTIVITY

April, Monday 7th In this activity you will be assessed on Communication and Media. The topic will be “censorship”. It is important that you read both texts “Cartoon violence makes children more aggressive” and “CHILE: Conservatives Keep ‘Last Temptation’ from Screens”, so you are clearer about this topic.

You are going to watch a video from CBS News that discusses the issue of the use of N-word in Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn. In 2011, this book suffered a modification from its original version in the Southern States from the United States that replaced the “N-word” with “slave”, used more than 200 times.

Click here to access the interactive oral worksheet.

You will be assessed following the IB Interactive Oral Activity rubric for SL

Rubric

For further practice, this is the video that we will use:

Date of Ad preparation handout: March 17

Date of Ad production: March 17-18

Date of Presentation: March 21

In this assessment you will have to produce a creative but realistic type of shoe advertisement and then present it to your classmates.

The sources where your ad will be published might be: a newspaper, magazine, direct mail/flyer or the Internet. You need to choose one.

You need to decide the target audience, stereotype, the rhetoric devices (ethos, pathos, logos).

We will be using iPads.